How You Can Get More Done in Less Time

How You Can Get More Done in Less Time

When you try to stay focused for eight hours a day, you end up being exhausted. This decreases your productivity and efficiency. But placing your attention on one task at a time is the best way to get more done. Focused work is much more effective than distracted time or multitasking. Learn how you can focus more, while staying fresh and getting more done, more easily.



Transcript:

Thank you for joining me. I’m Linda-Ann Stewart of Heartvision Consulting. I’d like to give you a tip to maximize your productivity and efficiency through the effective use of focus. Being able to focus on one task or project at a time is a key to success. In fact, focused work is worth four hours of unfocused work. But staying focused for long periods of time is tiring, isn’t it?

You know that trying to pay attention to one thing for a 8 hours exhausts you and erodes your productivity, right? However, when you take breaks, it helps to refresh your mind and improve your efficiency. This is a bit counter-intuitive.

Research has shown that the most productive workers work 52 minutes on average, and then take a 17 minute break to recharge. Some can work more, some less. That’s why it’s an average.

And a break doesn’t mean doing something else on the computer, like checking into Facebook or watching videos on YouTube. It means taking an actual break, such as a short walk, getting some coffee, or reading a book. This gives the mind a breather. Shifting to something completely different.

If you have a hard time focusing for 52 minutes or thereabouts, work for 20-30 minutes or so, then take a shorter break, say 5 or 10 minutes.

Personally, I’ve found that taking a break every hour to hour-and-a-half works best for me. I’ve discovered that my attention begins to tire out after 90 minutes. It becomes harder for me to think. Since we know being sedentary is bad for you, I get up and walk around for a few minutes. This helps me get the kinks out and allows my mind to rejuvenate. When I get back to my computer, I’m ready to focus on my next task.

The longer you can concentrate on one item at a time, the more you’ll be able to get done in less time. That’s something to strive for, right? And you’ll be less fried at the end of the day. Not only will that help your work, it will improve the overall quality of your life.

If you’d like more tips on how to increase your productivity and accelerate your success, download my free guide, Take Control of Your Day

Thank you for watching. How can you schedule your focus time and your breaks into your day?

Read the accompanying article Are Distractions Sabotaging Your Success?

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

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